


The Best Is Yet To Come

by Spellfire01



Series: Guardians [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Agender Character, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Amputee Naruto, Animals, Companions, Dorks in Love, Emotions, F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Guardians AU, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Queerplatonic Relationships, Soul Bond, Spirit Animals, Talking Animals, baki is the sand sibs dad tbh, but like only w/ an internal monologue, but not really, everything is Good and Happy apart from when it isnt, gaara has Emotions and doesnt know how to feel abt them, gaara is gay for naruto and in lesbians w/ hinata i didnt make the rules, if you like animals and happy things then this is for you, kankuro and kiba are dorks, kankuro doesnt know how to deal w/ children, many agender characters, or why this child likes hanging out with him, queerplatonic leegaa, so does his Guardian, theyr'e like daemons but they're very different, this is possibly gonna be a series i'll see how we go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 05:22:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10780422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spellfire01/pseuds/Spellfire01
Summary: "Akira watched the three humans sat on the sofa, hands entwined and words exchanged with soft smiles and laughs alike. The wait was well worth seeing Gaara this happy, head resting against Hinata’s shoulder as Naruto babbled excitedly to him about how things were going back in Konoha. Akira hadn’t seen him this relaxed in far too long, of course, the only beings who would be able to tell were a mere handful of Humans and their Guardians, but sharing a bond certainly helped them keep in tune with his emotions and feelings."Guardians. They are a being born of magic who choose a Charge from the day they are born. Think of the Golden Compass but without soul-ties and many, many other things. A Guardian can choose three forms to shapeshift between throughout it’s long life and, although they are tied to their human, they are their own beings and can just walk away and sever the bond if they so choose to.(These are a species of my own creation and I plan to incorporate them into my own series so I thought it would be good writing practice.)





	The Best Is Yet To Come

**Author's Note:**

  * For [artlessICTOAN](https://archiveofourown.org/users/artlessICTOAN/gifts).



> This is my present to my wonderful, beautiful, heart-of-gold writing Alpha, [artlessICTOAN,](http://archiveofourown.org/users/artlessICTOAN/pseuds/artlessICTOAN) to which most of my stories would be practically nothing without their help!
> 
> HAPPY BIRTH DEERBRO
> 
> Also, this is only a small glimpse of what I have created for this AU over on my tumblr so please feel free to scroll through [the Guardians tag](http://spellfire01.tumblr.com/tagged/guardians) because there's a lot this group of stories are missing out.

 

**Insecure**

 

It was a quiet evening, the lights turned low as the sun’s last few rays filtered in through the small, round windows of the living room, bathing every surface it could reach in a warm, golden glow.

The tiny owl perched atop of the sofa’s comfy arm fondly watched the two others of its kind rest in a matching armchair, two foxes curled around each other like blankets in their slumber, one orange and other white. The only sign of life to the scene was the gentle rise and fall of their fur as they slept.The sight was enough to make the owl’s eyelids droop tiredly, a drowsiness slowly but surely taking over the creature.  
It had been a long day after all, and being the Kazekage’s Guardian, Akira got the full brunt of it. Not that that was a bad thing, it just meant that they had to sit patiently through days and nights of their Charge filling out paperwork and the usually boring meetings in which the Council’s remarks and attempts at undoing all of Gaara’s hard work and effort made the owl’s blood boil - more than a few times it had lead to them lashing out at the other Guardians who spoke in mean streaked tongues that Gaara had no way of understanding.

But today was different. The arrival of Gaara’s partners had been scheduled for weeks and made up for a large percent of all he thought about recently, which they were more than eager to talk about with him.

Akira watched the three humans sat on the sofa, hands entwined and words exchanged with soft smiles and laughs alike. The wait was well worth seeing Gaara this happy, head resting against Hinata’s shoulder as Naruto babbled excitedly to him about how things were going back in Konoha. Akira hadn’t seen him this relaxed in far too long, of course, the only beings who would be able to tell were a mere handful of Humans and their Guardians, but sharing a bond certainly helped them keep in tune with his emotions and feelings.

Akira looked over again to Naruto’s Guardian, Haruki. The red fox was mumbling something nearly inaudible during their slumber about the day the six had spent together, though Hinata and Gaara would only be able to hear soft growls and grumbles instead, being neither Haruki’s Charge nor a Guardian themselves. It warmed the elf owl’s insides with endearment, thinking back to when the three Guardians had been reunited this morning, how Akira had habitually shifted from their usual form into a tanuki at the sight of the foxes that had come bounding up to greet them. They recalled how Haruki had tackled them playfully in greeting in a way Akira tolerated solely because they were happy to see them both.

As much as they cared deeply about the foxes though, they couldn’t help but feel a little envious sometimes. Seeing them filled Akira with a mixture of joy and dissatisfaction as of late, and that feeling had only grown since the start of the day.

Hinata and Naruto’s Guardians had chosen their three forms in a way that made them graceful, agile and everything that Gaara’s wasn’t. Even Gaara had an elegant way about him, and although Akira was helpful enough to him, the owl did occasionally feel as though it’s chosen forms had slowed him down somewhat; if they weren’t flying to catch up with him, they were shuffling alongside him at a slower pace than they would have liked.

Akira huffed out a sigh, puffing out their cream downy feathers and unintentionally drawing the subtle attention of their Charge. Gaara only did so much as glance over at them, but they could tell that they had his full attention even when he looked back to his partners. The bond they shared was essential, but did have it’s drawbacks, because now was not the time to talk about their current dilemma when Gaara was finally seeing his partners again after so long. That didn’t stop him from trying though.

_‘What’s wrong?’_

The elf owl kept their attention focused on the foxes, an uncomfortable mixture of guilt and shame pooling in their stomach. _’…Do you ever wish that I’d spared my Hedgehog form to be a Fox like them instead? We’d certainly make quite the trio.’_

There was a pause from Gaara’s internal monologue, before Akira felt his eyes on the back of their feathered head once again. _‘Perhaps you would, but your Hedgehog form has protected me far better than a Fox could.’_

He was right as per usual, though it did clear up some of their insecurities with the reassurance. A Guardian was meant to protect their Charge after all, what good would having a weaker body do in dire situations that called for defensive spikes?

The elf owl turned their head to look at their Charge, his eyes nearly as comforting as the hand he lifted to stroke the back of his finger against their folded wing.

They were enough.

 

_*_*_*_*_*_

 

**Promise**

 

Yodo pressed her back against the dirty ally wall and slid down it weakly, trying to put out the fire burning inside her heaving lungs by taking deep breaths. They should be safer here unless someone had taken over the area, then they would be fucked. She would check once she had calmed the pounding in her chest.

She lifted her hand shakily up to the large woolly rat clinging to her filthy, ragged shirt to pet it’s thick, matted fur in an attempt at distracting herself from the aching in her legs from running for so long now that the adrenaline had started to wear off.

The girl reached into her torn trouser pocket and brought out a small loaf of bread, a tired, raspy chuckle escaping her in victory as she tore the food in half, bringing the smaller piece up for her Guardian to nibble on. Her own stomach rumbled louder and the hunger pang tearing at her insides seemed to grow stronger as she wolfed half of her own piece of bread down in a few bites.

“Don’t worry Katsumi, some day we’ll have enough food that we won’t need to steal anything ever again, I promise!"

 

_*_*_*_*_*_

 

**Strong**

 

'Do you think that just because my Guardian is nervous and shy a lot, that they can’t protect me?“ Araya asked out of the blue one day, troubled voice so quiet that Kankurō had nearly misheard him with his focus so trained on refitting a new spring into Crow.

"Who told you that?” The Jonin asked, turning his focus from his work to his…nephew, who had made himself at home sitting on a stool he had lying around his workshop.

The boy hadn’t had much to say today which wasn’t abnormal seeing as he was shy anyway, but he had been much quieter than usual, only mumbling a small 'hello’ before he sat to watch Kankurō work.

It had practically turned into a routine now, every now and then after Araya would hang out with his new uncle after he had finished the homework that the orphanage had sent while they made sure that Yodo, Araya and Shinki would be safe and happy in their new household. Araya had been the quickest to settle down into their family out of the three children and had taken a shine to Kankurō for reasons that the puppeteer couldn’t begin to decipher. This was the first time that the five-year old had asked him a question like this though.

The boy shrugged his answer but didn’t deny anything. From what Gaara had told his brother about the events leading up to Araya and his two friend’s adoption, Kankurō wouldn’t be surprised if it had been a mean comment one of his bullies back in the orphanage had attacked him with.

“Listen Kid, every Guardian is different but their personality doesn’t define what they can or can’t do. Your Guardian…Nn…Uh, Nari…What’s their name again?” Kankurō squinted down at the Bongo calf resting delicately next to Araya’s stool, the red antelope seeming unphased by Kankuro’s Komodo Dragon, Taura, sunbathing underneath the pool of light a lamp provided not five feet away.

“N-nariko”

“Well, Nariko can be as strong as any other Guardian, just because they’re small and aren’t aggressive or scary doesn’t mean they can’t protect you. I mean, look at Gaara’s Guardian. Akira is one of the smallest Guardians I know of, and all of their forms aren’t exactly threatening. Does a Desert Hedgehog seem scary to you?”

Araya shook his head, trying and failing to hide a smile behind his hand.

“Yeah, no. No, that doesn’t seem very scary to me either. But his Guardian has helped him get to where he is now, so…Don’t beat yourself up about it, Kid.”

Araya nodded in understanding, looking as though a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Kankurō was satisfied enough to get on with his work once more, picking up a screwdriver to modify his puppet’s arm before an unexpected wave of questions interrupted his train of thought.

“Why does your Guardian only be a lizard wh-when it’s being lazy? I’ve never seen lizard that big, do all lizards get that big? Will…will my Guardian be a lizard too one day? Does your guardian like marshmallows? I like marshmallows, so does Nariko. Do you like sweets?”

Kankurō almost regretted answering the boy’s question in the first place.

Almost.

 

_*_*_*_*_*_

 

**Beastly**

 

 _It’s hard to imagine how two years of not seeing someone can change them so much_ , was the third thing Kankurō thought as he stared down giddily at the man in front of him who was far taller than he was accustomed to, though he still didn’t quite reach his own height by a few inches. It was a thought agreed with Taura, the Caracal treading lightly around Kiba's Guardian, pawing at them hesitantly as if they couldn't quite believe that it really was Akamaru, which was understandable because he was hardly recognisable with the new form he had taken.

The second was to tell Kiba how much he had been missed, but that could wait until later because actions spoke louder than words and pulling him into a kiss sounded like the perfect idea. His lips were rougher than Kankurō remembered - dehydration instinctively wormed it's way into the back of his mind - the prickle of stubble was an unfamiliar addition, but not an unpleasant one by far, as was the small nick caused by a second pair of growing fangs.

The first thought that was shared between Kankurō and his Guardian though, was one of disbelief. A familiar voice had turned them around on the spot, walking back from a Kage meeting they had sat in with their siblings. Taura had made the decision between them to grab some food and meet thier siblings back at their temporary accommodation, which Kankurō was grateful for. Listening to elders drone on about their own old-fashioned opinions while trying to hold his tongue and let Gaara take the reigns of the conversation for the greater good was not an easy feat on both his mentality and his stomach.

Kankurō and Taura hadn't recognised Kiba and Akamaru at first, but after a few seconds the sight of the rugged man walking towards them and the memory of a loud, boisterous teen clicked. His hair had gotten longer, grown to his stubbled chin, his features nearly as sharp as his eyes. The Wild Dog at his side, though smaller than Akamaru's Grey Wolf or Great Pyrenees forms, with it's large ears, haunting amber eyes, and patterned fur...they both looked positively _Beastly._

 

_*_*_*_*_*_

 

**Unorthodox**

 

Maybe the villagers had deemed it unorthodox about Gaara wishing for his thirtieth birthday to be a privet event, although the villagers wouldn't be disappointed by the bank holiday the Kazekage had allowed for in the place of a larger celebration. But these events drained him, the over-focused attention making him want to shield himself with his Sand like he had countless times in his younger years, although the armor still made it's appearance every once in a while.

The gathering of family, extended family and friends seemed to soothe him though, the familiarity of a larger family than he ever accounted for and the love shared between them a blessing in it's own right.

Sitting next to and holding Naruto's hand at the dinner table, Gaara's Tanuki and Naruto's Fox cuddling contentedly at their feet while Hinata and her Guardian, Yuki, watched Himawari, the toddler struggling to hug her squirming Otter pup as it made to climb up onto the table.

Gaara watched the scene with a small smile before his attention was drawn to the bark of Kiba's laughter, Temari following suit at one of Baki's comments, met with an exaggerated eye roll from Kankurō, who was trying and failing at getting Shikamaru to back up something they were discussing, though the lazy nin openly declared that he didn't want any involvement in the subject. Kankurō didn't get much luck with Choji either, who was too busy dealing with the after effects of his food coma to be of much help.

Further along the table, Matsuri was talking excitedly to Lee, Shinki listening in on the conversation though it didn't seem that he was particularly interested in adding anything to it, simply contented to listen while Matsuri's Spiny Mouse tried to groom and look after Shinki's Gerboa which swiftly jumped back to the safety of the boy's shoulder, content with it's independence.

The sound of Boruto complaining loudly in the background was rather grating on the ears, but was quickly resolved by a shout from Yodo about being petty and ungrateful, much to Gaara's quiet relief.

He turned in his chair slightly to see the children and their Guardians playing a game of some kind, Chouchou and her Bison acting as referee while Yodo and her Hyena were working together with her brother in an attempt to outsmart their cousin, although Shikadai was clearly winning. Shikadai's Faun, Tsubame, didn't seem nearly as interested though, and chose instead to spend some quality nap time with Araya's Bongo.

"Hey, are you okay?" Asked Naruto, bringing Gaara back from his partial trance and into the conversation they were having once again.

"Never better."

**Author's Note:**

> Your comments feed my motivation lampreys and kudos give them snacks, please don't let them starve!


End file.
